Tobacco-hoisting apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

U. E. POPE.

TOBACGU HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1903.`

N0 MODEL.

Tut man man: co. mooumc.. wAswlNnrou o c UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES E. POPE, OF SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR TO UNIVERSAL TOBACCO HOISTING COMPANY OE HOLYOKE, MASSACHUA SETTS, A FIRM.

TOBACCO-HOISTING APPARATUS SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 759,190, dated May 3, 1904.

Appleaton filed September 22, 1903. Serial No. 174,189. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES E. Porn, a citizen of the United States of America,and a resident ci South Hadley, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following' is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for hoisting tobacco, the pluralities oi' the bunches or hands7 of which are engaged over a lath or bar, strip or rod, so that the tobacco may with facility be carried from the floor of the shed upwardly as high as required, to be taken and stowed away at any of the variably-elevated bents or lofts in the shed. Y

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the indicated purpose,which is simple and inexpensive of construction, most easy and convenient in operation, and incapable of becoming deranged after protracted use; and the invention consists in the combinations or arrangements of parts and the construction of parts, all substantially as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

Reference is tobe had to the accompanying' drawings, in which the improved tobaccohoisting apparatus is fully and clearly illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the same,the lower portions of the carrier-chains being omitted. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation as seen on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective i'epresentation of a preferred construction of combined chain and lath-supporting hook. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modiiied form of chain-link and hook, which is capable of advantageous utilization.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A represents the main supporting body or frame of the device, adapted to be sustained at a high location in the tobaccoshed-as, for instance, by being by means of the opposite upstanding hooks a a, suspended from an overhead beam or bar to be found or provided in the shed.

The shaft B, which is journaled through the ear-lugs 7) of the said frame or body, has affixed thereon in opposition and suitably distanced the pair oil sprocket-wheels C C and also aflixed thereon a ratchet-wheel I), with which engages a pawl cdpivotally hung within ear-lugs ff of the main frame.

F F represent a pair of liexible carriers, advantageously constituted by sproeket-chains, which have running engagements with and around the said pair of sprocket-wheels and dependent therebelow, and at intervals the chains are provided with forwardly-projectiug hooks g g, those of one chain being arranged opposite and at the same level with those of the other chain, said hooks readily receiving engagement therewithin, and for the support of the saine the laths or straight strips a', on which the hands of the leaf-tobacco are carried.

As shown in Fig. 3, the chain-links, which are produced from sheet metal struck up and having bar members atan end of each link engaged in an eye of the relatively next link, have integral extensions bent to form the hook In Fig. 4 the hook member is separately formed from sheet metal having opposite lips g2 gli, which embrace the vertical opposite members oi' the link, these two different hook formations being illustrated to show that it is not my purpose to limit the invention to any specific hook and link construction.

The apparatus being mounted in place in.

the tobacco-shed a person on the iioor places the laths carrying the hands of tobacco on one oi the lower pair oi' hooks and by drawing downwardly on the rear course of the chain the front course is elevated, carrying the tobacco therewith, the laths with the tobacco being' taken off at any ci' the bents desired. The pawl engaging' the ratchet-wheel prevents any falling back of the i'ront course of the chain, and the tobacco being elevated thereby even should the person momentarily discontinue the elevating' action and leave the chain subject to the weight ot' the tobacco-carrying laths thereon.

The apparatus is also available with great convenience for the taking down oi' the tobacco, in which case the lathe are placed on upper pairs of the hooks and the pawl is swung upwardly and left out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel, so that the weight of the t0- baceo will cause the front course of the chain to descend, or if such weight is insuflicient to overcome the friction in the parts the chains may be hauled by hand in the proper direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-Y 1. In a tobacco-hoisting apparatus, the combination with an elevated support having a shaft journaled thereon provided with opposite sprocket-wheels, and having a ratchetwheel, of a pair of sprocket-chains in running engagement around and depending below said wheels, and provided at intervals with oppo- CHARLES E. POPE.

lVitnesses:

WV M. S; BELLOWS, A. V. LEAHY. 

